It’s easy to get sucked into social media. You want to be seen, heard, connect, and network so you can build your brand.  But sometimes social media can consume your life and be harmful to your overall mental health and productivity. Constantly scrolling through social media can cause stress, depression, and jealousy toward those around you. But opening up a social media app is far easier than closing it. Especially, if you work in social media or to promote your business or blog. You don’t have to quit social media just cut back on the amount of time you’re spending on social media. So here are some ways to cut back on your social media use.

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Stop Worrying About Missing Out

When it comes to social media we have no control over what pops up on our feed and when. It’s all up to the provider, which means you have no control over what you don’t see either. There are thousands of things being posted and you have no idea what you’re going to see and not see. Checking often isn’t going to change that because no matter what you’re going to miss out on something.

Set Limits

Set limits for how long you’ll stay on your laptop, phone, or tablet even if you’re doing other things and not using it for social media. While working on these devices it natural to want to take a short break and scroll through social media. Which turns into an even longer break than you originally intended. But if you actually step away from the computer or put the phone down. You won’t get stuck in a cycle of scrolling through social media and the task your working on. So make it a habit to get up and get a drink, go for a short walk, have a snack, or talk to someone. This way you get a break from what you’re working on and you keep from looking at social media as an alternative to task your working on.

Turn off Your Notifications

Don’t let social media updates distract you. It’s something easier said than done because notifications are always popping up and tempting you. A notification pops up and you start with seeing what it is, then you end up scrolling for hours on end. So don’t let notifications distract you, turn them off notifications for the social media apps and websites that aren’t important. Then set aside time to check those apps or websites.

Block Social Media Sites for a Period of Time Daily

If you’re having a hard time staying off social media try using an app or a program that blocks access to social media sites or apps for a few hours or a couple of days. This will give you no choice but to cut back on your social media usage. Decide how much time is reasonable, then set the app or program for that amount of time. And each day or week you make it through, give yourself a little reward. Once you’re comfortable with that amount of reduced time, cut back again. Until you’re comfortable with the amount of time you’re spending on social media.

Make Your Feed a Positive Place

Start off by asking yourself why you’re using your social media platform. Is it to build your brand? Connect with others? Learn something new? Then create a list of goals and decide which accounts you follow fit into those goals. And unfollow, mute, or hide the accounts that don’t. After that focus on removing accounts that give enlist negative feelings. Scroll through your feed and pay attention to the way you react to what you see. If you find yourself annoyed with certain accounts. Consider unfollowing them, muting them, or hiding their notifications. Just make your feed a positive and productive place. This way you won’t get caught up reading posts that don’t push you toward your goals.

Schedule Post

Create a social media calendar and a schedule for each platform. Plan out what you’re going to post each day then use a social media scheduling tool to schedule it. You can schedule everything each week or for the whole entire month. This will help you stay organized and be ready to go with content. Instead of going through each platform trying to figure out what to post each day.

Social Media Scheduling Tools:

To help you plan, I’ve created a free social media planner that you can download and fill in with your goals and plans.

Social Media Planner

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Find an Offline Hobby

Find at least one hobby that doesn’t require a smartphone, computer, or tablet. This way you’ll have something to do besides scroll through social media when you’re bored. It can be a hobby you share with someone else or an individual hobby. Long as it’s something you enjoy, it’ll be easier to not turn to social media to fill your boredom.

Related post: 7 Tips for Effective Time Management

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Angela Louise
Written by Angela Louise
Angela is the owner and chief content creator for Weird Louise and is working towards becoming a full-time blogger. In addition to blogging here on Weird Louise, she is an artist and owner of the Social Awkward Club. She also has a passion for helping others discover ways to live their best lives.